View full sizeAP Photo/Paul SancyaUnited Auto Workers president Bob King, right, speaks during a news conference as vice president Joe Ashton, left, listens in Detroit, Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2011. Union leaders from General Motors factories around the U.S. have endorsed a new four-year contract with the company. They are recommending that GM's 48,500 factory workers approve the deal in votes during the next week.

The United Auto Workers union and General Motors Co. are maintaining a unified front in wake of the company announcing its highest profit in history, as well as up to $7,000 profit-sharing check to union members.

Both organizations, which entered into a new four-year contract this year, are pleased with the Detroit-based automaker’s $7.6 billion profit for 2011, but say there is more work to be done.

“The UAW played a key role in GM’s comeback story and the game has really just begun,” UAW Vice President Joe Ashton said in a statement Thursday night. “Through collective teamwork and continuous improvement, we will strengthen our position in the industry and help ensure the company’s long-term success.”

Ashton’s remarks echoed that of GM CEO and Chairman Dan Akerson earlier in the day.

The profit-sharing checks for GM’s 47,500 members were part of the new contracts, which included signing bonuses and profit-sharing instead of raises.

The full payout will be paid to eligible union members who had 1,850 or more compensated hours in 2011.

The profit-sharing payments will be the largest since 1983 when they began, according to The Detroit Free Press. The previous record was reportedly last year’s average of more than $4,000 each.

“I am pleased with GM’s 2011 results and know that the dedication and hard work of UAW members at GM has contributed to GM’s 2011 results,” Ashton said. “Their efforts helped make GM a stronger company, which is benefiting customers, employees, communities and the many others who depend on the success of this auto company.”

General Motors (GM) announced today that workers will receive approximately $7,000 in profit-sharing based on results of 2011 earnings. I am pleased with GM’s 2011 results and know that the dedication and hard work of UAW members at GM has contributed to GM’s 2011 results. Their efforts helped make GM a stronger company, which is benefiting customers, employees, communities and the many others who depend on the success of this auto company.

Over the course of the year, GM announced facility investments in the United States totaling more than $3.6 billion and more than 9,500 jobs created or retained. Nobody is more invested in the success of this company than its workers. UAW members at GM went into negotiations this fall with a strategy to make the company successful and to share in its success. And that strategy paid off.

These results also prove that President Obama made the right decision to stand with American workers and the domestic auto industry at a time when it was a difficult and unpopular decision. Today, the domestic auto industry is adding jobs, and Michigan is recovering from the recession at the second-fastest pace in the United States. Importantly, America is once again a technological leader, emerging stronger and better able to compete.

Without the President’s bold action, the American auto industry would have collapsed. This city, this state and this country would be a very different place without the 1.4 million jobs that the auto industry supports. Those are good-paying American jobs that put food on the table, pay bills, buy homes and ensure that the American dream is kept alive.

The UAW played a key role in GM’s comeback story and the game has really just begun. Through collective teamwork and continuous improvement, we will strengthen our position in the industry and help ensure the company’s long-term success.